(5t) Multi-Compartment Carriers for Enhanced, Tumor-Specific Drug Delivery

vesosome, a new multi-compartment structure consisting of drug-loaded liposomes encapsulated within another bilayer, is a promising drug carrier with better retention and stability compared with unilamellar liposomes. The current vesosome preparation takes advantage of the interdigitated phase of saturated lipids, which causes lipid bilayers to form flat, open sheets at low temperature, that close to form large unilamellar vesicles at higher temperatures. During this closure, the interdigitated sheets encapsulate other lipid vesicles or colloidal particles to form and thereby become the outer membrane of the vesosome. However, as currently practiced, the vesosomes are too large for optimal intravenous use. We have made efforts to control the vesosome size and studied the effect of cholesterol and unsaturated lipids on the formation of interdigitated sheets. Freeze-fracture TEM and light scattering were used to evaluate the size distribution and polydispersity of the vesosomes formed. We have also prepared gold nanoshells on polystyrene cores with absorbance wavelength in the visible and infrared range. Gold nanoshells can be loaded inside vesosome to be externally triggered via near Infra-Red light for controlled drug release.